How much would you pay sitter for weekly food preparation?

[flashy09]

My sitter is getting a health degree and wants to specialize in nutrition. She loves to cook and is fabulous at it. I am sort of embarrassed when it's lunch time and DD has peanut butter and honey for the 3rd day in a row or cheese pizza snacks (Amy's organic, don't judge!). I am just not into cooking although I do try to shop at Whole Foods for frozen food and buy plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables so DD eats pretty well, but I find meal prep a big pain. Literally crossed some preschools off my list if I had to pack the lunch, lol.

We came up with a plan where she makes weekly meals for DD, DH and myself. Today she brought two big containers of turkey chili that is amazing - full of vegetables, juicy turkey, great flavor. She also brought 4 or 5 mini veggie pizzas on whole wheat english muffins for DD, blueberry pancakes (6-8), corn bread (6-8 shaped like waffles, DD loves waffles), and some incredible molasses cookies (12-15). All of it is absolutely delicious and just needs to be heated up.

So the food is great and very convenient. It makes the days she watches DD very easy because she just heats what she made up and DH and I also have lunch or dinner.

The receipt was for $36 and I pay her $12 per hour to watch DD. What you you pay her for cooking all that?

Thanks!

[hillview]

I'd ask her. I'd start at $12 an hour.

[TwinFoxes]

I'd ask her. I'd start at $12 an hour.
:yeahthat: Lucky you!

[kdeunc]

I'd ask her. I'd start at $12 an hour.

:yeahthat: Would she like to relocate to eastern North Carolina??;)

[trales]

Ask her to keep track of her shopping and cooking time and pay the $12 per hour. That is so much cheaper and better than prepared foods and take out. You are super lucky.

[westwoodmom04]

Is that the total of what she made? It sounds like one dinner, plus a few breakfast things, and cookies. It all sounds yummy, but you've already paid $36 for that, which is kind of on the high side as is. I guess it is a case of how much having her make it versus buying it at a store is worth it to you. For what you described, I don't think I would pay her more than $20 beyond the cost of ingredients.

Not sure if this data point is helpful or not -- our nanny would make all the kids' lunches, breakfasts, and dinners during the week. She would also make one "family" dinner for us a week. She would pick the recipe (she had about four or five meals she would rotate through). She would put together a grocery list and I would make sure that she had all the ingredients on hand. If not, she would purchase and I would reimburse. She was paid $16 an hour, after taxes, but this was time she was also watching the kids.

[mommy111]

In the past, I've paid someone $60-80 for a weeks worth of food. I would grocery shop and drop things over at her place and she would cook 4-5 entrees, some enough to double up. It was more expensive but healthier than take out or grocery store frozen. We did school snacks etc separately

[westwoodmom04]

In the past, I've paid someone $60-80 for a weeks worth of food. I would grocery shop and drop things over at her place and she would cook 4-5 entrees, some enough to double up. It was more expensive but healthier than take out or grocery store frozen. We did school snacks etc separately

I should clarify, I meant $20 per day of food plus ingredient costs, so the amount you suggest sound reasonable to me. It sounds like she brought one day's worth of food -- something for breakfast, dd's lunch, and a dinner, plus cookies. OP, I would think about what you want from her. Do you want her to focus on a particular meal or meals -- maybe dinner and lunch or just give her free reign -- it just seems you got a bit of a hodge podge today.

[magnoliaparadise]

I must be hormonal, but I feel like crying reading your post. I think I am in love with your babysitter.
Preparing foods and cooking happens to be my achilles heel (who knew that these little creatures eat all.the.time). If you like her babysitting and like the food, I would either ask her what she wants, or pick a pretty generous number (ie for your area, since numbers seem to vary) and give it to her.
How on earth did you find someone like that...

[HannaAddict]

We pay our nanny almost double per hour what you pay, plus health insurance and other benefits. She worked (and still works on weekends) for a caterer and loves to cook. We pay her our regular nanny amount and she grocery shops and makes great dinners, desserts, etc. when the kids are in school. I think $36 for ingredients is a bargain - not sure how or where others shop that it would be not a bargain! One of the best things ours does is make amazing, healthy salads that make a salad appealing and ready to go. I love having someone cooking for us, she loves doing it - cooking is her passion. I would tell your sitter to keep track of hours shopping and cooking and it is a bargain to have ready to go food, especially since you have a new little one. Our sitter asks what we want and has come up with things I never thought of from ingredients on hand. It really is a huge plus.

[flashy09]

Is that the total of what she made? It sounds like one dinner, plus a few breakfast things, and cookies. It all sounds yummy, but you've already paid $36 for that, which is kind of on the high side as is. I guess it is a case of how much having her make it versus buying it at a store is worth it to you. For what you described, I don't think I would pay her more than $20 beyond the cost of ingredients.

Not sure if this data point is helpful or not -- our nanny would make all the kids' lunches, breakfasts, and dinners during the week. She would also make one "family" dinner for us a week. She would pick the recipe (she had about four or five meals she would rotate through). She would put together a grocery list and I would make sure that she had all the ingredients on hand. If not, she would purchase and I would reimburse. She was paid $16 an hour, after taxes, but this was time she was also watching the kids.


I think weekly was the wrong word for me to use - it's not a very structured plan and more that she brings a decent amount of food when we need some - probably 1-2x week - just to help out. The chili is probably 8 portions with enough corn bread to go with it and then pizza and pancakes to last 4-5 days assuming DD eats them every day or DH doesn't eat them first! Cookies (they are a food group to me!) should last a week, lol, but they are so good who knows.

She is the sweetest girl ever and so good with DD and luckily the food was really good so no awkwardness with actually not wanting her to bring anymore! She wants to specialize in making good tasting food for people with intolerances/allergies when she graduates. I don't give her a ton of hours yet and thought this was a good way for her to make a little extra as I really don't want to lose her!

[egoldber]

That is so awesome!


Would she like to relocate to eastern North Carolina??

No, no, I am sure NoVA is where she wants to be!

I would ask for her rate. I have someone who shops for me at her usual rate ($12 an hour). For cooking time, I would offer more than that.

[basil]

Oh that's awesome! When we looked for a nanny, I couldn't even find anyone who was capable of watching my infant son. And when we looked for a housekeeper, couldn't find anyone interested in that either.

I actually like cooking but don't have time and energy to do it every day, so we end up eating less healthy choices some nights like take-out and prepared meals from Costco.

I guess if I were you, I'd probably try to establish a flat rate either per meal or per week for a certain amount of food, plus ingredients. I think paying by the hour is going to turn out oddly, since you don't want to be paying $12 for the 2 hours the chili spent simmering, KWIM? You can kind of go by restaurant/takeout/prepared food prices in your area but a little cheaper. For the amount of food you mentioned, I'd probably be comfortable paying somewhere in the $75-90 range, so if your ingredients were $26, you're looking at about $50-70 for her time. That's about equivalent to 4-6 hours of her babysitting time, which sounds about right. If she's good, she probably did it faster than that, if you don't include cooking time.

[westwoodmom04]

I think weekly was the wrong word for me to use - it's not a very structured plan and more that she brings a decent amount of food when we need some - probably 1-2x week - just to help out. The chili is probably 8 portions with enough corn bread to go with it and then pizza and pancakes to last 4-5 days assuming DD eats them every day or DH doesn't eat them first! Cookies (they are a food group to me!) should last a week, lol, but they are so good who knows.

She is the sweetest girl ever and so good with DD and luckily the food was really good so no awkwardness with actually not wanting her to bring anymore! She wants to specialize in making good tasting food for people with intolerances/allergies when she graduates. I don't give her a ton of hours yet and thought this was a good way for her to make a little extra as I really don't want to lose her!

I definitely wouldn't pay her an hourly rate in that case, you will be paying for her learning curve. I guess my thought with what she brought was mostly stuff that you wouldn't pay all that much for if you went to buy it at the local gourmet take out -- mostly baked goods. If she adds in meals that are more complicated -- i.e. roasted or grilled meats, casseroles, salads or vegetable sides, I personally would pay more. Maybe check out the web sites of some local caterers to get a sense of your local market. Definitely she needs to be paid for the convenience to you and the homemade factor but you don't want to get too out of balance with what you would pay for the prepared food elsewhere. I think some of the issue is you paying for all the ingredients, even the kitchen staples-- my guess is that you are probably paying for things like flour, eggs, etc. . maybe have her use your kitchen and pantry supplies?

[westwoodmom04]

Oh that's awesome! When we looked for a nanny, I couldn't even find anyone who was capable of watching my infant son. And when we looked for a housekeeper, couldn't find anyone interested in that either.

I actually like cooking but don't have time and energy to do it every day, so we end up eating less healthy choices some nights like take-out and prepared meals from Costco.

I guess if I were you, I'd probably try to establish a flat rate either per meal or per week for a certain amount of food, plus ingredients. I think paying by the hour is going to turn out oddly, since you don't want to be paying $12 for the 2 hours the chili spent simmering, KWIM? You can kind of go by restaurant/takeout/prepared food prices in your area but a little cheaper. For the amount of food you mentioned, I'd probably be comfortable paying somewhere in the $75-90 range, so if your ingredients were $26, you're looking at about $50-70 for her time. That's about equivalent to 4-6 hours of her babysitting time, which sounds about right. If she's good, she probably did it faster than that, if you don't include cooking time.

I mostly agree with you, but would you really pay $80 for chili, pancakes, cornbread and cookies? That seems extremely high.

[MelissaTC]

:yeahthat: Would she like to relocate to eastern North Carolina??;)

Not sure if you are in my area but I know of a great food service (that delivers!) using fresh, local and organic ingredients. They are located in Fuquay-Varina but deliver throughout most of Wake county. You leave out a cooler and they leave the meals. You just reheat. http://www.foodsimplyfresh.com

[basil]

I mostly agree with you, but would you really pay $80 for chili, pancakes, cornbread and cookies? That seems extremely high.

I guess I would look at it as paying for 2+ dinners (8 servings of chili), plus some extras. If we get take out for two it's always at least $40. If I buy some prepared meal from Costco (which isn't healthy and isn't very good) it's usually like $18. Blue Apron is $9.99 per dinner per person and you have to make that yourself. So I would say 2 dinners alone is at least $40. Plus another $20 for the pancakes and waffles and cookies. Plus another $10-20 for it being healthy, tasty, and delivered to my house which none of the other options are.

Now, if she's just starting out I would go on the lower end of that. The other way to look at it is how much would I pay not to do that work? It would take me a long time to make all that.

My perspective is on the end of paying more money for health and convenience in general, and I'm not very careful about grocery budgeting, so I can see why people who are better bargain shoppers than me would think that was high.

[mommy111]

So its nearly a week of food? If I were you, I'd ask her to add some more variety (2 kinds of breakfasts, 2 or 3 entrees in portions large enough to last the week). At that point, I think what you're thinking, depending on COL of area etc, somewhere between $60-90 should be fine. Its more efficient use of her time as well, I bet, since chili simmering time is also casserole prep time etc. I bet if you were to factor in $12-15/hr it would probably work out to be about the same. I have a friend who is starting to do this professionally and that is what she charges.

[BunnyBee]

I'll make you chili for 80 bucks. ;)

OP, the sitter sounds like a gem! I hope you figure out fair compensation for her skills.

[westwoodmom04]

I guess I would look at it as paying for 2+ dinners (8 servings of chili), plus some extras. If we get take out for two it's always at least $40. If I buy some prepared meal from Costco (which isn't healthy and isn't very good) it's usually like $18. Blue Apron is $9.99 per dinner per person and you have to make that yourself. So I would say 2 dinners alone is at least $40. Plus another $20 for the pancakes and waffles and cookies. Plus another $10-20 for it being healthy, tasty, and delivered to my house which none of the other options are.

Now, if she's just starting out I would go on the lower end of that. The other way to look at it is how much would I pay not to do that work? It would take me a long time to make all that.

My perspective is on the end of paying more money for health and convenience in general, and I'm not very careful about grocery budgeting, so I can see why people who are better bargain shoppers than me would think that high.

I'm not at all a bargain shopper at all and we eat out quite a bit and we had a nanny who cooked for us, as I described above. For me to pay $80 or $90 a week beyond ingredients, it would have to be for more complete meals with protein,fruits and veggies and complexity in the cooking. Cornbread and chili at a restaurant is going to be about $5 per person, or $20 total. Pancakes, cookies, and english muffin pizzas aren't going to cost much more.

[basil]

I'm not at all a bargain shopper at all and we eat out quite a bit and we had a nanny who cooked for us, as I described above. For me to pay $80 or $90 a week beyond ingredients, it would have to be for more complete meals with protein,fruits and veggies and complexity in the cooking. Cornbread and chili at a restaurant is going to be about $5 per person, or $20 total. Pancakes, cookies, and english muffin pizzas aren't going to cost much more.

$75-90 including ingredients…which I think were $26. So for the above meals you'd be paying $50 for the preparation aspect of it. I don't know a place here where you could get out the door at a restaurant for $5 a person, except maybe Wendy's! :)

[westwoodmom04]

Double post.

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[westwoodmom04]

$75-90 including ingredients…which I think were $26. So for the above meals you'd be paying $50 for the preparation aspect of it. I don't know a place here where you could get out the door at a restaurant for $5 a person, except maybe Wendy's! :)

This is getting silly; what restaurant charges more than $5 for a bowl of chili?

[kdeunc]

Not sure if you are in my area but I know of a great food service (that delivers!) using fresh, local and organic ingredients. They are located in Fuquay-Varina but deliver throughout most of Wake county. You leave out a cooler and they leave the meals. You just reheat. http://www.foodsimplyfresh.com
That sounds awesome, unfortunately I am too far east! I miss Wake County! :)

[basil]

This is getting silly; what restaurant charges more than $5 for a bowl of chili?

I only looked at one place, but Chili's seems to charge $6.29 for a bowl of chili in my area. +7% tax and +15% tip, it's like ~$7.50 or so. So multiply that by 8 servings and it's $60 without the other stuff. Plus, I think that chili that the girl made it worth more than buying chili from Chili's cause it is probably more healthy and probably tastes better and I don't have to spend time in a Chili's. It's really a tough thing to put a value on and I imagine it has a lot to do with your location and personal situation, but that's why OP asked the question.

[123LuckyMom]

In this case, I really would ask her about how she wants to be compensated. If she is planning on cooking regularly for you, then I would up her general compensation so you're paying her as a nanny/cook. I don't know how many hours she works for you, though. Generally, around here, a housekeeper/nanny/cook gets about $35 an hour. Alternatively you could pay per meal. A restaurant typically charges three to four times the cost of ingredients for a dish, but a restaurant has much higher costs than a single cook.

Around here a bowl of chili would be $8-12 depending on the restaurant.

[westwoodmom04]

Hmmm, our chili's is $5 for a bowl of chili, $6 for chili and salad, or $6 for chili and half sandwich --DC metro area so HCOL. Same price at our locally owned gourmet soup/salad place. I guess I just don't love chili as much as others.

Nannies who cook get $15-20 an hour but housekeepers/cleaning people get $30 or more an hour.

Hard to believe this thread is on the same board as the one where people who spent more than $200 a week on groceries were viewed as spendthrifts.

[bcafe]

I need to start advertising my healthy/natural cooking expertise!

[azzeps]

She wants to specialize in making good tasting food for people with intolerances/allergies when she graduates.

This is awesome. I really, really struggle with this. My son is allergic to dairy, eggs, peanuts and most other nuts, and soy. Doesn't leave much to work with!!! She is worth her weight in gold. I'd ask her what she'd like to be paid and pay for the groceries she buys!

[HannaAddict]

I'm not at all a bargain shopper at all and we eat out quite a bit and we had a nanny who cooked for us, as I described above. For me to pay $80 or $90 a week beyond ingredients, it would have to be for more complete meals with protein,fruits and veggies and complexity in the cooking. Cornbread and chili at a restaurant is going to be about $5 per person, or $20 total. Pancakes, cookies, and english muffin pizzas aren't going to cost much more.

Where do people eat or live? Chili at taco time fast food is $5, not a restaurant meal. We don't live near or eat at the chain restaurants like
chilis or panera but $5 is bot realistic here for a cup of soup! I don't get how cheap people want fresh, homemade food. It takes time to plan, shop and cook. $12 an hour is below minimum wage in a city near here, and a bargain for meal prep. I wouldn't begrudge paying her for her time to prep and make this and I doubt she charges for time "simmering" - that is when she can whip up the cornbread or veggies. She sounds like a great deal.

[mommy111]

Where do people eat or live? Chili at taco time fast food is $5, not a restaurant meal. We don't live near or eat at the chain restaurants like
chilis or panera but $5 is bot realistic here for a cup of soup! I don't get how cheap people want fresh, homemade food. It takes time to plan, shop and cook. $12 an hour is below minimum wage in a city near here, and a bargain for meal prep. I wouldn't begrudge paying her for her time to prep and make this and I doubt she charges for time "simmering" - that is when she can whip up the cornbread or veggies. She sounds like a great deal.
I agree (except for the minimum wage part.....the min wage in our neck of the woods is lower) but around $500-600 a month including ingredients for fresh, home cooked healthy meals and snacks is not a huge amount at all. If it seemed high, I would cut out the baked stuff like cookies and have her do only entrees and sides/snacks etc.

[HannaAddict]

I agree (except for the minimum wage part.....the min wage in our neck of the woods is lower) but around $500-600 a month including ingredients for fresh, home cooked healthy meals and snacks is not a huge amount at all. If it seemed high, I would cut out the baked stuff like cookies and have her do only entrees and sides/snacks etc.

Our state has one of the highest, if not the highest, minimum wage and a city nearby just raised their min. wage to $15 an hour. Our city's mayor and some city council members are advocating for raising our minimum wage to $15 too. A college sitter who doesn't cook or clean is $15 an hour here. I am surprised at how low people say restaurant food is - add 10% tax here plus tip and I think the $12 an hour rate is a screaming deal! And so much better for you too and more pleasant to eat at home versus a lower or mid-level restaurant.

[mommy111]

Our state has one of the highest, if not the highest, minimum wage and a city nearby just raised their min. wage to $15 an hour. Our city's mayor and some city council members are advocating for raising our minimum wage to $15 too. A college sitter who doesn't cook or clean is $15 an hour here. I am surprised at how low people say restaurant food is - add 10% tax here plus tip and I think the $12 an hour rate is a screaming deal! And so much better for you too and more pleasant to eat at home versus a lower or mid-level restaurant.
So I think that may be very dependant on where you live....remember the poster a few weeks ago who said her grocery bill was under $400/month for a family of 4 or something like that. Well, it looks like in her area, groceries were much cheaper than most of us have in other parts of the country. Also, I've lived in the mid-west, florida and in the east and I still remember the 2 burgers for $2 deals that were prolific in some parts of Florida.....you won't find a bag of french fries at that price here in the East. Also, amongst my acquaintances/friends here who have sitters/nannies (we can't afford one, we mostly just do aftercare etc), especially when the kids are older, the 'babysitter''s primary job is cooking for the kids since the parents are away. My friend's Brazilian babysitter gets her 11 and 9 year olds from school and stays with them for 4-5 hrs till mom comes home and since the kids are older and don't need supervision, she cooks dinner for the family and prepares and packs the lunch bags for the next day. So I guess its very regional. Although to my mind, if you can afford to have someone cook healthy and fresh for you, its worth a huge amount!!

[Momit]

We just ate out last night at a decent, non-chain restaurant in an extremely LCOL area. They charged $3 for each smallish portion of side items like baked beans, mashed potatoes, steamed veggies or rice pilaf and $2 for one slice of cornbread!

I agree that OP's nanny is worth her weight in gold.

[flashy09]

Sorry to not respond for awhile, I have been reading on my phone!

She is bringing more food over today so it seems like it is a weekly supply. She comes 3 times per week at the moment and seems to arrive with a bag of food every time. I will post what she brings and maybe that will help! I am still pretty lost as whether to pay hours/receipt/bonus or just a set amount or something else...

She said she had no idea what she wanted and just likes to cook! She really is the sweetest girl.

[chays]

Why don't you give her hours when the kids are not home when she can get some cooking done at your home? Then you pay her regular hourly rate and maybe she can throw in the laundry, too!

[mikala]

Sorry to not respond for awhile, I have been reading on my phone!

She is bringing more food over today so it seems like it is a weekly supply. She comes 3 times per week at the moment and seems to arrive with a bag of food every time. I will post what she brings and maybe that will help! I am still pretty lost as whether to pay hours/receipt/bonus or just a set amount or something else...

She said she had no idea what she wanted and just likes to cook! She really is the sweetest girl.

I'm with the others and would love to have someone drop off delicious homemade goodies! I love to cook but not every night and I get tired of making food the kids won't eat. But I'm no help on the payment front, no experience with this.

You might also consider asking her to double the recipe for things like casseroles and soups that freeze well. It doesn't take much additional effort for a lot of recipes and would allow you to feel better about any hourly rate since you'd get more out of it.